Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Orange Yodanville’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Orange Yodanville’, characterized by its uniform and upright plant habit; strong, moderately vigorous, and very freely branching growth habit; dark green foliage; uniform flowering response; early flowering, eight-week response time; large decorative-type inflorescences that are about 9.8 cm in diameter; orange ray florets that twist slightly as inflorescences develop; and excellent postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good substance and color for at least four weeks in an interior environment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium andhereinafter referred to by the name ‘Orange Yodanville’.

The new Chrysanthemum is a product of a mutation induction programconducted by the Inventor in Fort Myers, Fla. The objective of theprogram is to create new potted Chrysanthemum cultivars that aresuitable for year-round production with uniform plant growth habit, goodvigor, desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fast responsetime, and excellent postproduction longevity.

The new Chrysanthemum originated by exposing unrooted cuttings of aproprietary Chrysanthemum seedling selection identified as YB-5273, notpatented, to X-ray radiation in September, 1997 in Fort Myers, Fla.Following the radiation treatment, the cuttings were rooted and terminalapices were removed (pinched) three times to promote lateral branchdevelopment. After lateral branches from the third pinch reachedsufficient size, terminal cuttings were harvested, planted and floweredin a controlled environment in Fort Myers, Fla. The new Chrysanthemumwas discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plantwithin this population in March, 1998, in Fort Myers, Fla. The selectionof this plant was based on its uniform plant growth habit, good vigor,desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fast response time, andexcellent postproduction longevity. Plants of the new Chrysanthemumdiffer primarily from plants of the parent selection and the cultivarsYodanville (disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No.09/774,370), Dark Yodanville (disclosed in U.S. Plant patent applicationSer. No. 09/774,357), and Yellow Yodanville (disclosed in U.S. Plantpatent application Ser. No. 09/774,359) in ray floret color.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative tip cuttingswas first conducted in Fort Myers, Fla. in June, 1998. Asexualreproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this newChrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successivegenerations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Orange Yodanville has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength, and/or lightlevel, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characterictics of ‘Orange Yodanville’. Thesecharacteristics in combination distinguish ‘Orange Yodanville’ as a newand distinct Chrysanthemum:

1. Uniform and upright plant habit.

2. Strong, moderately vigorous, and very freely branching growth habit.

3. Dark green foliage.

4. Uniform flowering response.

5. Typically grown as a disbud-type.

6. Early flowering, eight-week response time.

7. Large decorative-type inflorescences that are about 9.8 cm indiameter.

8. Orange ray florets that twist slightly as the inflorescences developgiving inflorescences a cactus-dahlia appearance.

9. Excellent postproduction longevity with plants maintaining goodsubstance and color for at least four weeks in an interior environment.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of thecultivar Amber Pomona, not patented. In side-by-side comparisonsconducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif., plants of the newChrysanthemum differ from plants of the cultivar Amber Pomona in thefollowing characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower about one week earlier thanplants of the cultivar Amber Pomona.

2. Ray floret color of the new Chrysanthemum is lighter than ray floretcolor of the cultivar Amber Pomona.

3. Under high light conditions, ray floret color of the newChrysanthemum does not fade whereas ray floret color of plants of thecultivar Amber Pomona fades.

4. Inflorescences of the new Chrysanthemum produce fewer disc floretsthan inflorescences of the cultivar Amber Pomona.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of theChrysanthemum cultivar Dark Bronze Charm, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat.No. 6,801. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor inSalinas, Calif., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants ofthe cultivar Dark Bronze Charm in ray floret color and in the followingcharacteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are denser and fuller than plants ofthe cultivar Dark Bronze Charm.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower more uniformly than plants ofthe cultivar Dark Bronze Charm.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum tolerate winter production conditionsmuch better than plants of the cultivar Dark Bronze Charm.

4. Ray florets of the new Chrysanthemum twist slightly with developmentwhereas ray florets of the cultivar Dark Bronze Charm do not twist withdevelopment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Chrysanthemum showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ from the color values cited in the detailedbotanical description which accurately describe the colors of the newChrysanthemum.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a top perspective viewof a typical flowering plant of ‘Orange Yodanville’ grown a disbud-type.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view oftypical inflorescences of ‘Orange Yodanville’ grown as a disbud-type.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observationsand measurements describe plants grown and flowered during the autumn inSalinas, Calif., in a fiberglass-covered greenhouse and under conditionswhich approximate those generally used in commercial pottedChrysanthemum production. During the production of these plants, thefollowing conditions were measured: day temperatures, 21 to 27° C.;night temperatures, 17 to 19° C.; and light levels, 4,000 to 6,000foot-candles. Four unrooted cuttings were directly stuck in 15-cmcontainers, exposed to long day/short night conditions, and pinched onceabout 14 days later. At that time, the photoinductive short day/longnight treatments were started. Plants used for this description weregrown as disbud-types. Measurements and numerical values representaverages of typical flowering plants.

Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar OrangeYodanville.

Commercial classification: Decorative-type potted Chrysanthemum.

Parentage: Induced mutation of a proprietary Chrysanthemum×morifoliumseedling selection identified as code number YB-5273, not patented.

Propagation:

Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—About four days at 21° C.

Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About ten days at 21° C.

Root description.—Fibrous and well-branched.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Herbaceous decorative-type potted Chrysanthemum typicallygrown as a disbud-type. Stems upright and outwardly spreading giving auniformly mounded appearance to the plant. Freely branching, about fivelateral branches develop after removal of terminal apex (pinching);dense and full plants. Moderate vigor.

Plant height.—About 33 cm.

Plant width.—About 47 cm.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 31 cm. Diameter: About 5.5 mm. Internodelength: About 2.2 cm. Strength: Very strong. Texture: Pubescent. Color:144A to 146A.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate. Quantity of leaves perlateral stem: About 15. Length: About 9.6 cm. Width: About 7.1 cm. Apex:Acute to cuspidate. Base: Mostly truncate. Margin: Palmately lobed,sinuses between lateral lobes parallel to divergent. Texture: Upper andlower surfaces with very fine pubescence; veins prominent on lowersurface. Color: Young foliage, upper surface: Darker than 147A. Youngfoliage, lower surface: Darker than 147B. Mature foliage, upper surface:Darker than 147A. Mature foliage, lower surface: Darker than 147B.Venation, both surfaces: 146B. Petiole length: About 1.4 cm. Petiolediameter: About 3 mm. Petiole color: 146C.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form with elongatedoblong-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences borne on terminals abovefoliage. Disk and ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum. Notfragrant. Typically grown as a disbud-type.

Flowering response.—Under natural conditions, plants flower in theautumn/winter in the Northern Hemisphere. At other times of the year,inflorescence initiation and development can be induced under shortday/long night conditions (at least 13.5 hours of darkness). Earlyflowering; plants exposed to two weeks of long day/short nightconditions followed by photoinducive short day/long night conditionsflower about eight weeks later.

Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color andsubstance for at least four weeks in an interior environment.

Quantity of inflorescences.—Produced as a disbud-type, all the lateralinflorescences are removed leaving only the terminal inflorescence.

Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 7 mm. Diameter: About 1.2 cm. Color:143A.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: Large, about 9.8 cm. Depth (height): About2.9 cm. Diameter of disc: About 4 mm, inconspicuous. Receptaclediameter: About 1.2 cm.

Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated-oblong. Orientation: Initially upright,then about 90° from vertical or perpendicular to the peduncle. Aspect:Initially incurved to flat to somewhat convex and slightly twisted.Length: About 4.8 cm. Width: About 1.2 cm. Corolla tube length: About 4mm. Apex: Emarginate, dentate or acute. Base: Attenuate; short corollatube. Margin: Entire. Texture: Smooth, glabrous, satiny. Number of rayflorets per inflorescence: Numerous, more than 250. Color: When opening,upper surface: Initially, 145A; then 9A faintly overlain with 45A to46A; overall tonality, slightly more red than 163B. When opening, lowersurface: Initially, 145A; then 9B faintly underlain with 45A to 46A.Fully opened, upper surface: 9A faintly overlain with 45A to 46A;overall tonality, slightly more red than 163B. Fully opened, lowersurface: 9B to 9C faintly underlain with 45A to 46A.

Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle,inconspicuous. Shape: Tubular, elongated. Apex: Five-pointed. Length:About 6 mm. Width: Apex, about 1.5 mm; base, about 1 mm. Number of discflorets per inflorescence: About 25. Color: Immature: 144A to 154A.Mature: Apex: 9A. Mid-section and base: 155D.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anthercolor: 13A. Pollen amount: None. Gynoecium: Present on both ray and discflorets. Pistil color: Greenish white.

Seed.—Seed production has not been observed.

Disease resistance: Resistance to pathogens common to Chrysanthemums hasnot been observed on plants grown under commercial greenhouseconditions.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plantnamed ‘Orange Yodanville’, as illustrated and described.